GRADES THE TEXANS
BA tremendous performance by quarterback Brian Hoyer, receiver DeAndre Hopkins and safety Andre Hal helped end a two-game losing streak and keep the Texans out of the AFC South basement.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Hoyer Haters will point out that quarterback Brian Hoyer’s performance Sunday was just one game, and it was against the worst team in the worst division in the NFL.
And they will be right on both accounts.
Hoyer’s critics — those who never wanted the Texans to sign him and couldn’t wait for him to be replaced by Ryan Mallett — might not give him his due this week, but they’ll look foolish if they won’t admit he was terrific in the 31-20 win over Jacksonville.
Hoyer could crater in the next game at Miami, but in the Battle for the Basement at EverBank Field, he was outstanding. He was 24-of-36 passing for 293 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn’t intercepted. His rating was 119.3.
“It’s good to get my first win as a Houston Texan, but I didn’t think it would take this long,” Hoyer said.
The Texans (2-4) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Jaguars (1-5) occupy last place in the AFC South.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but when it counted, we made the plays,” Hoyer said. “A total team win. Everyone doing their job.”
Efficient quarterbacking
And nobody did his job better than Hoyer. Each of Hoyer’s touchdown passes came on third down: third-and-7 to Arian Foster for 14 yards, third-and-9 to DeAndre Hopkins for 9 yards, and third-and-3 to Hopkins for 26 yards.
Hoyer’s touchdown passes to Hopkins came in the fourth quarter, when the Texans rebounded from a 14-10 deficit.
The Hoyer-to-Hopkins connection was a thing of beauty. Hopkins caught 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, one on the ground in the end zone when Hoyer fired a bullet past three defenders, the other after a double move left him open.
“He’s very talented and wants to be the best,” Hoyer said about the NFL’s leading receiver. “When you have a player like him who wants the ball at crunch time and has the ability to do it, it’s fun to have him on the team.”
It wasn’t fun in the third quarter when Foster was thrown for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at Jacksonville’s 45. The Jaguars responded with a touchdown when tight end Julius Thomas took advantage of a blown coverage and caught a 29-yard pass from Blake Bortles for a 14-10 lead.
Jaguars force gut check
“We knew we had to respond if we wanted to win the game,” Hoyer said.
The Texans responded so efficiently Hoyer ignited touchdown drives on the next two possessions before safety Andre Hal’s pick-six secured the victory.
On the go-ahead TD drive, Hoyer showed his teammates something about his character.
On second-and-6 at the Jaguars’ 24, he ran for 6 yards and was drilled by safety Johnathan Cyprien, who was called for a personal foul, giving the Texans a first down at the 9. Hoyer left the game for one play, then returned and threw the 9-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins.
“Very gutsy performance right there,” left tackle Duane Brown said. “He took a crazy hit, (and) we didn’t quite know what was going to happen. He came out for one play, came back in and threw a strike. Those kinds of plays get you hyped up as a team. I was really excited to celebrate with him after the touchdown.”
Take one for the team
Then Hoyer showed his teammates something else.
“You don’t want to get hit like that,” Hoyer said. “Trust me, it didn’t feel good. I may have slid a little late, but it’s one of those where you have to assess possible damage to yourself, and there’s a little showmanship, too, to make sure we got the penalty.”
Afterward, the Texans felt good about the victory. Nobody felt better than Hoyer, and it started Saturday when his alma mater, Michigan State, pulled off a miraculous win at Michigan.
“I got downstairs just in time for the punt,” Hoyer said about the Michigan punt returned for the winning touchdown with no time remaining. “I was running around looking for somebody to high-five. My only win over Michigan was at their place.”
Hoyer has come a long way since being benched in the opening loss to Kansas City.
“Obviously, it was tough,” he said. “You never want your job to be taken away from you.
“I had to focus every day, do my job and be prepared. I didn’t know if I’d get an opportunity to play again. It sure feels good to get another start.”